As multi-polar cardiac pacing leads become commercially available, multiple bipolar pacing electrode vectors are possible. A clinician selecting which pacing electrode vector to use for pacing a patient's heart may consider, among other things, the pacing capture threshold, the hemodynamic benefit, and the avoidance of extra-cardiac stimulation. When selecting a pacing electrode vector, it is generally desired to avoid selecting an electrode pair that results in relatively high energy expenditure, e.g. due to high pacing capture threshold, in order to avoid early depletion of the pacemaker battery. A need remains for an apparatus and method for providing a clinician with useful information for selecting an optimal pacing electrode vector.